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A blog has been criticised as ‘irresponsible’ for publishing extracts from the files of a private detective who sold personal data to journalists.

Blog: Staines (Picture: Getty Images)

The Information CommissionerâsÂ Office censured Paul Staines, who runs the Guido Fawkes politics site, for posting the contents of a notebook seized from Steve Whittamore in a case called Operation Motorman.

Covering News International papers, including the now-defunct News of the World, the spreadsheet lists the name of the journalist making the request, the information they asked for and, in most cases, the name of the target.

Those whose personal details were sold to reporters include soap stars, comedians, politicians, Big Brother contestants and victims of crime.

The information provided in response, including addresses and car registration numbers, were blanked out.

Mr Staines said there was an âoverwhelming public interestâ in publishing 1,028 of 17,000 entries in the private investigatorâs papers after Lord Justice Leveson last month rejected a request for him to release the full Motorman files with personal details redacted.

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An ICO spokeswoman said: âPutting these into the public domain is a serious violation of many peopleâs privacy and raises more questions than it answers.â

Whittamore was convicted of illegally accessing data and received a conditional discharge at Londonâs Blackfriars crown court in April 2005.